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Jersey City, NJ - St. Paul of the Cross Church Priest Charged with Sexually Assaulting a Woman

Donato Cabardo charged with sexual assault
Published: August 25, 2020
By: Janean Cuffee
Last Updated on November 24, 2020

St. Paul of the Cross Church Priest Charged with Sexually Abusing a Woman

According to NorthJersey, St. Paul of the Cross Church priest, Donato Cabardo, is charged with sexually molesting and harassing a woman in the church.

Cabardo allegedly touched the victim’s rear end and breast two times, once in January and again in July. The victim reported Cabardo to Archdiocese of Newark, which then reported his actions to the New Jersey Clergy Abuse Task Force and the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office. Cabardo is temporarily removed from public ministry.

Although charged with criminal sexual contact and harassment, he has been released pending an appearance in court.

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Legal Options for Victims Sexually Abused in a Church

Attorney contributor Guy D'Andrea, an experienced sexual abuse lawyer in New Jersey, represents victims of sexual abuse and their families in civil lawsuits. In an interview, we asked Brian to share his insights about the rights of victims sexually abused by a priest.

Is a church legally obligated to uphold the safety of its members?

“Sexual predators often place themselves in positions of trust and power to commit abuse; these predators are sometimes found in churches as they exploit their victims. This exploitation is seen across all religious organizations, as numerous religious leaders have been charged with sexually abusing congregation members. Churches are legally obligated to do their best to uphold their member’s safety and stop predators.”

Can a victim sue a church for sexual abuse by a clergy member?

“A church can be held liable for not upholding the safety of its member’. In some cases, sexual abuse only happens due to negligence on behalf of the religious organization. An example of negligence is if complaints were filed against an active clergy member and the allegations were ignored. In cases of negligence, the religious organization could be considered negligent. Victims and their families should know in cases of negligence; they may have grounds for a lawsuit.”

Sources:

https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/hudson/2020/08/17/jersey-city-priest-arrested-sexual-assault-st-paul-cross/3382344001/

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About the Author
Janean Cuffee
About Janean Cuffee
Editor: Janean is an NYU Applied Psychology major with a double minor in history and sociology. As a NY native, she focuses on highlighting important legal news regarding violence, assaults, and social justice cases. Contact Janean: Janean@legalherald.com This article was fact checked prior to publishing by this author to ensure compliance with our rigorous editorial standards. We will only use authoritative sources. Our values compel us to provide only trustworthy information. If you find an error, please contact us.
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